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Iowa-Malaysia Connections

Oct 17, 2013 - 11:33am

In an ongoing series from International Programs, we look at connections between the University of Iowa and countries around the world. Our faculty, students, and programs reach far beyond the UI campus. Below are some of the highlights of our connections with Malaysia.

Facts at a glance

Of the 108 total countries and territories represented at the UI, Malaysian students make up the fifth largest international student population. Over 70% of all UI international students come from East and Southeast Asia.

Since it began in 1967, the UI’s International Writing Program has accepted 18 Malaysian writers of fiction and nonfiction into the prestigious residency program.

The University of Iowa holds three articulation agreements with colleges and universities in Malaysia: Taylor's University, Sunway University, and INTI College. Students at these schools are able to transfer to the UI through the American Degree Transfer Program.

Malaysia is one of the top ten countries outside the U.S. where University of Iowa alumni live. Approximately 430 UI alumni call Malaysia home.

“The Harmony of American Life” by Angeline See,a UI international student from Malaysia

Faculty

William Jones

William Jones, director of orchestral studies for the University of Iowa School of Music, has conducted throughout Malaysia with community and professional groups. During his first trip in 1996, Jones led an orchestra tour through Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Ipoh. Sultan Azlan Shah attended the concert in Ipoh, along with a special invitational reception. Jones has conducted the Penang Symphony on three different occasions in their city auditorium, first in 2002 then returning in 2004 and 2007. His recent trips include conducting a youth orchestra at an international festival in Kuala Lumpur (2009) and conducted a traditional Chinese instrument orchestra in Kedah (2010).

Christopher Squier

Christopher Squier, director of the Oral Sciences Training Program in the UI College of Dentistry and director of the UI’s Global Health Studies Program, recently gave a presentation, “The Role of the Dental Profession in Tobacco Cessation and Control in Malaysia,” during his visit to the Asian Institute for Medical Science and Technology in Kedah, Malaysia. This was part of an ongoing collaboration that started about three years ago on training dental students to assist their patients with tobacco cessation. Malaysia has one of the highest smoking rates in the world. Squier also collaborates with faculty at University Sans Malaysia (USM) in Penang, which runs the national quit line for Malaysia.